The Sound Of Truth
by midnightwriter1898
Summary: One undercover agent with a mission, one arrogant pop star targeted as her victim, and a monster bent on destroying the agency… xXxNew SummaryxXx
1. I

**A.N: Okay, I have a confession. When I said "Summary inside", I kind of lied :) The prologue is kind of just the introduction, truth be told, I have NO idea what this story is gonna be about or what direction I'm going to take it in, but it just hit me and I couldn't resist writing it down :) I always love dark, evil stories :). So, even though I'm not sure of the plot yet, I can promise that it will be suspenseful, and different... whether that's good or bad, well, that's up to your guys' opinions :) ENJOY and don't forget to review :)**

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**T**_he sweat dripped down my face as I ran, out of breath yet not daring to stop, for fear that he would catch up to me. Just the very thought made my feet move faster, my chest rising and falling rapidly with every breath of air I gasped in. The trees passed in a blur, the darkness feeling as if it was about to swallow me. Every little noise, every pair of eyes that stared back at me made my heart race just a little faster, and I prayed that I wouldn't have a heart attack or pass out - mostly from the sheer exhaustion - before I could get away._

_My foot hit something solid, and, gasping for breath, I fell face-first, making a thud sound throughout the now-quiet forest that loomed above me. Panting heavily, trying to catch my breath, I rolled onto my back, staring up at the dark, starless sky. Closing my eyes, I gripped my hands together tightly, causing them to turn white, as I tried to quiet my breathing. He couldn't hear me; not now, I'd gotten too far. _

_Thunder sounded above me, a fork of lightning streaking across the pitch-black sky, lighting up the forest in a flash of light for a split second. In that instant, I caught sight of his silhouette, running fast and hard. My breath catching in my throat, I rolled back onto my stomach, pushing myself up from the ground as I forced my legs to run once again. Barely able to see, barely able to breath, I fled, hoping that it wasn't too late to get away. Hoping that he wouldn't catch me. I'd come this far, he couldn't stop me now. I had to get away._

_"I can see you!" His voice rang clearly throughout the darkness, loudly. I coughed, feeling something warm in my mouth; a sour taste, causing me to spit, hoping to rid the horrible taste from my mouth. My legs were pumping hard and fast, along with my adrenaline, and I could feel my head spinning. The forest seemed to be closing in on me, trapping me, with every step that I took, leading me towards the inevitable fate. _

_My knees buckled, unable to hold me up any longer, and I collapsed to the ground, moving my hand over my racing heart as I gasped for breath. My vision was almost black, and I had to fight to stay awake. Do not give in to the darkness now, you haven't fought this hard and this long just to give up now. _

_"Where are you going to run to now?" He loomed above me, dark and threateningly, and I could see his yellow eyes gleaming in the darkness, the only speck of light in the blackness that was closing in on me. _

_"No..." I moaned, fighting the darkness off, forcing myself to stay awake as the rain splattered down on my cold, pale face, causing it to mix with the dirt and sweat, which now ran down my face, all mixed together, making me feel... dirty. "Please..." I stuttered, feeling his cold breath rushing over me, making me feel dizzy. The darkness was becoming more overwhelming as the seconds ticked by, his threatening figure hovering over me. _

_My breath mixed with his, and for a few moments, only the sound of our ragged breathing could be heard above the thunderstorm. _

_"This will be the end for you." He broke the silence, snarling down at me, and I gripped my fingers together tighter. So, I guess this really was it. There would be no more running, no more hiding, no more _fear_. No more flight, no more needing protection. _

_"Mitchie!" At his voice, my body jerked, and I turned my head to the side, my brown orbs meeting his. My breath caught in my throat - no, he couldn't be here! He thought he was doing a good thing, he thought he was rescuing me - he didn't know I couldn't be saved - but in reality he was only making things worse. Why couldn't he just have stayed away - far away? _

_I took in his mangled expression - tears were filling his eyes as he watched the scenario unfolding in front of him. If only I could warn him - tell him to get away - before it was too late. My mouth was opening, but I couldn't force the words out of my throat, and instead I tasted my salty tears that were now mixing along with the rain, knowing what was about to happen._

_"Go." My voice cracked as I forced the solitare word out of my mouth, staring helplessly in his direction. "Just leave, Shane." I continued, closing my eyes and wincing as a fresh burst of pain spread through my body, causing me to jerk again, biting my lip to keep from screaming in agony. _

_"This is the end." Once again, my captor spoke, and my gaze returned to his yellow, fierce eyes. Swallowing, I turned my head back in his direction, staring straight into his mysterious eyes and trying my best to igore the boy that was standing only a few yards away from me. Oh, how I wished he wouldn't have to see this. I hadn't wanted things to end this way; it was never part of the plan. My thoughts switched from the boy back to him as my eyes caught a glimse of steel, and I pursed my lips together. This was the end, there was nothing left to do._

_"Say goodbye." He whispered, and I heard a shout of "No!" ringing out right before a loud bang filled the air, and I felt a searing pain in my stomach. Gasping, I moved my hand down to my waist, trying to ignore the darkness that was calling my name, telling me to give into it. _

_The last thing I saw was the boy's chocolate brown orbs meeting mine, leaning over me, calling my name frantically as he pressed his hands against my cold, pale cheeks, tears falling onto my face, mixing with my own. And then the blackness overcame me, and there was nothing else._

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**A.N: So, there was the prologue, hope it didn't suck too badly. I, for one, had a blast writing it :) Also, the title and summary aren't set in stone; once I come up with a better title and a summary, I'll probably change it. So don't be surprised if it's something different next time :) I hope you all enjoyed and don't forget to review - see, it's that little button right below this :):):)**


	2. II

**A/N: **_Not a very long chapter ahead, but I wanted to update, just I couldn't think of anything to write :(. Anyway, enjoy this short little snippet and please review!_

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own CR, just my little plot._

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**I **pulled my jacket closer to me, hoping to block out some of the cold that the rain was bringing, the cold that was seeping through the thin layer of clothes that now hugged my body, sopping wet. Scanning my eyes over the dreary scenery, I found my target: the dark haired boy, standing besides a blonde-headed girl and laughing haughtily. Sliding into an empty table, all the while keeping my eyes on the raven-haired boy so as not to lose him in the crowd of people, I pushed my glasses higher up on the bridge of my nose, resisting the urge to reach up and move my wig, which was getting increasingly itchy with each passing moment.

Sinking lower into my seat, still nevous at the possibility of getting discovered despite my disguise, I narrowed my eyes, scrutinizing the boy. I couldn't really see what was so special about him - he seemed pretty average to me. He wore the typical leather jacket, and skinny jeans with converse. So, he was just your normal boy, who wanted to be something special, and so dressed like he was "cool" in an attempt to stand out and be different, while inside he was just like the geeky boy that stood only a few feet away from him. He, despite what he tried to believe, wasn't anything special.

The boy glanced around and I immediately looked away, hoping he hadn't noticed that I was staring at him, but I could see by his sudden smirk that he'd seen me. Shoving his hands into his jean pockets, he sauntered over in my direction with a cocky expression plastered on his face, and I sat up a little straighter, hoping that my wig was properly in place.

"Well, hey there." I forced myself to meet his eyes as he stopped a few feet away from me, his brown orbs seemingly 'dancing' mischievously. I stood up, smiling confidently, and moved closer to him, meeting him square in the eyes.

"Hey." I replied coyly. Well, two could play his game, if it came down to it. Although I couldn't act too confident - my disguise wouldn't allow for that, after all. I watched his expression as he ran his gaze over me, taking in my tie-dye t-shirt and plain jeans, probably laughing at me in his head. Oh well, all the better, because that way he wouldn't recognize the real me if he ever saw me again. Tie-dye shirts and denim jeans paired with sandals weren't really my kind of style. I preferred black jeans or leggings, leather jackets, and converse. And I preferred to have my normal hair to be flowing down my shoulders, not all tucked up in some ugly curly blonde wig. This was all too low-key for me, and it probably showed.

"So, I saw you staring..." He started, and I inwardly cursed my carelessness. "What's your name?" He asked slyly, his smile showing off his pearly whites. Crap, I needed a name, didn't I? Why hadn't I thought of that before I'd caught his attention?

"Andy." I thought quickly, thanking my quick wits. Like I'd be able to give him my real name, Boss would kill me. Shane shifted his weight to his other leg, his smirk growing wider at my response.

"Well, Andy..." Shane paused, running his eyes over me again, and I placed a cocky smile on my face. "Let me tell you something." Shane stepped closer, and I steadied myself, the smirk never leaving my face. Suddenly, Shane's hand flew up and dumped his ice cold cola onto of my head (technically, my wig), a smirk now placed firmly on his face. I gasped as the cold liquid seeped down and onto my shirt. "FYI," Shane retorted haughtily, "I have a girlfriend."

"No, duh, hotshot." I snapped, thoroughly annoyed at Shane's iced drink that was now covering me. Boss might not like the fact that I was talking back - no, scratch that, he'd probably want to kill me - but I couldn't help it. My new outfit was ruined. "And FYI," I mimicked, "You're buying me a new shirt. Give me 20, or drop dead." I spat, and watched Shane's expression turn to one of surprise.

"What makes you think I'll do such a thing?" He replied cockily, although I could see my outburst had made him somewhat nervous. He was just pretending as if I hadn't scared the living daylight out of him for the sake of his reputation. Amateur, I couldn't help but think.

"Because," I replied, stepping closer to him threateningly, "Don't think I'm playing around, you little thick-headed pop star. Now you're pulling out a twenty or it's going to get ugly."

"Like I'm afraid of you!" Shane laughed loudly, his eyes flickering back over to the blonde-headed girl, who was watching out exchange with fake-interest. It didn't take a genius to see that she was only after him for his money. I hadn't even said two words to her, yet I could smell it a mile away. Swiftly, Shane gripped my arm, yanking me away from the blonde so we couldn't be overheard. Quickly, he yanked a crisp twenty-dollar bill out of his pocket and shoved it into my hands.

"If you go away, you can have an extra twenty." He said, his voice low, and I shrugged. Boss couldn't kill me if I came back with forty dollars for him, now could he? Plus, it wasn't like I was really going to leave him alone, anyway.

"You got yourself a deal." I replied, and Shane eagerly threw another bill in my direction.

"See ya around." He winked cockily as he turned his back, making his way back over to the blonde who was looking bored with the whole situation, and I laughed under my breath. Yes, it wouldn't be long before he'd be falling hard for me instead of Miss Blondie over there. Yes, I could guarentee that he didn't know what he was missing out on, and once he did, it would only be a matter of time before he came crawling over to me.


	3. III

**A/N: **_Hey guys! I know it's been an incredibly long time since I updated this, but I was re-reading through the two chapters I'd written, and I felt the urge to update again ;) So hopefully you guys will enjoy this, and perhaps review? If you do, I might have another chapter up sooner than you guys think...:) So, enjoy, and maybe review on your way out? ;)_

_Disclaimer: Don't own Camp Rock - I never claimed to, either, so don't assume, my friends :)_

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**I **stumbled back towards the red convertible that Boss had loaned me, pulling the keys from my pocket and praying that the coke Shane had dumped onto my head hadn't ruined them. Then, Boss surely would kill me, if not for the fact that I'd annoyed Shane, then for the fact that I'd ruined his car keys, which he had grudgingly handed over to me.

With much relief, I heard the convertible unlock, and I eagerly jumped in, glad that at least one thing was working in my favor. The rest of the night had pretty much been a complete failure, judging from the rather loud scene I had created with my carelessness, and I knew Boss wouldn't be happy - even with Shane's forty bucks being handed over to him. Forty bucks was nothing when I'd just put our entire mission in jeopardy. Now, I just had to find another way around this unfortunate mistake, and try to right my wrongs before Boss got too angry.

I had just started up the car's engine and was about to take off and report my failure to Boss, when a knock on the car's passenger window caught my attention. I jumped, ready to pull out the knife hidden in my purse and take care of this stranger, when I recognized the boy. Nate Gray... Shane Gray's brother. I smirked inwardly - this could just be the 'right' I needed to fix that little mess back there. Quickly, my hands flew to unlock the door, and I rolled the window down, frowning suspiciously at him.

"What do you want?" I snapped, although it was all part of the act. If I managed to get on Nate's good side, this could just be the ticket I needed to get to Shane. "Did you come over here to dump your drink on my head, too?" At this point, I made sure my voice cracked, so it sounded as if I was close to crying, and Nate immediately shook his head, holding his empty hands up.

"Actually no - I don't have a drink." His smile told me he was trying to joke lightly, but I simply frowned at him, getting ready to reverse the moment I decided that he, like his brother, was a moron, and wasn't worth my effort, despite Boss' orders. He saw my annoyed expression and his own softened. "I'm kidding - I wouldn't throw my drink on you, even if I had one. My brother's a retard - I'm sorry for the way he acted." He apologized, and I laughed at the irony. Shane's brother was apologizing for Shane's actions... I rolled my eyes.

"What, Shane can't apologize for himself?" I retorted, and Nate sighed, his hand reaching up and running through his curly hair. Yes, that's what I thought - Shane didn't do anything for himself, except party and hang around with that fake blonde barbie, and have other people (like his brother) clean up his mistakes. He thought he could get away with it - he thought he was too good for them. I'd seen it all happen before. I wanted to do nothing else but give Shane a dose of his own medicine, and then watch him crash and burn.

"Listen, it's complicated..." Nate broke off, looking rather uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was taking, since he was talking to a complete stranger. He paused, staring at me, as if he wanted me to say something - maybe he wanted my name.

"Andy." I filled in, and Nate nodded, looking as if that was exactly the answer he'd wanted. I wanted to roll my eyes, put my car into reverse, and drive away from this whole situation. Since I still had to report back to Boss, however, I stayed.

"Andy," Nate repeated with a smile, as if he'd won some unspoken contest when he'd discovered my name (what the heck?) "All I wanted to say is I'm sorry, and that I'd like to buy you a new outfit, since Shane's succeeded at ruining yours." I wanted to deny him, but as I glanced down at my soaked, almost see through tee, and dripping wet sweater, I knew he was simply speaking the truth. And Boss surely wouldn't complain if I was a few minutes late because I was spending time with the youngest Gray brother, since this would put my almost-failed mission back on a better note. After a few moments of hesitation, I nodded.

"Fine." I replied, sighing as I did so. Nate smiled in my direction - surely he couldn't think that one smile from a famous pop sensation would make my cold heart melt, would he? Oh well - if what I needed to do to get close to Shane was pretend I was some fool-heartedly clueless fan, I would pretend. Only for Boss' sake, though, since I would do so grudgingly. And oh, would he owe me for it.

"Well?" I prompted, glaring at Nate with my eyebrows raised. Okay - so I wasn't going to be sappy at the moment, but when the moment was right... I could see how easy it would be to manipulate Nate. With an indiscreet smile to myself, I thought about the countless ways I could do it. Nate was going to be my little puppy dog - easy as winking. "Are you just going to stand there while I freeze and possibly get pneumonia, or are you gonna get in the car?" I snapped, and I saw Nate smile at my tone before he pulled open the convertible's door and slid into the passenger seat.

"So, where to, Miss Andy?" He asked, somewhat comically, and I held back the urge to laugh, since I was still stuck on giving him the cold shoulder. He and his obnoxious brother really needed a dose of reality, I noticed, from what I'd seen so far. With a glance at Nate, I rolled the car out of the parking space, wondering if Nate had really thought anything over before he hopped into a complete stranger's car - for all he knew, I could be a murderer or something. This once again proved how addle-brained these popstars had proved to be. There was Shane - dating a complete idiot and thinking he was so hot, and here was Nate, completely trusting and naive.

"To my personal favorite store, Urban Outfitters," I replied, rolling my eyes at him as if he'd asked me if the sky was still blue. Nate chuckled under his breath, and I sent him a quick glare that sent him straight into silence. As I sped on down the highway, I flipped the radio on, in hopes that the noise would drown out anything Nate might say. I was not in the mood for talking - what would Boss do when he'd found out I was spending time with a Gray brother, but the wrong brother? I sighed at what my one little mistake - allowing Shane to notice my staring - had cost me.

To my surprise, I heard Nate suddenly begin to sing along to the song, rather loudly and off-key, and I shot him a surprised glare.

"What do you think you're doing, huh?" I spat, reaching over to turn down the radio as I realized my little 'plan' was not working. Nate glanced up, looking shocked by my angry tone, and yet still managed to send me a large smile.

"Singing along to my own song. Hun, I believe I do have the right to do that." I felt myself stiffen at his response - one, because I wasn't exactly a Connect 2's - wait, Connect 3's - biggest fan, and hadn't realized it was their song, and secondly because he called me hun. If I hadn't been driving, I might have turned and smacked him, just at his own arrogance. Who did he think he was - to be calling me hun when I didn't know anything about him, besides that he was in his little cookie-cutter band, had an obnoxious brother who was my current mission (which I might have failed at, if failure was an option for me, but it wasn't), and had incredibly curly hair?

I had to bite back my sharp retort, realizing that if Nate liked me, then this was a much easier shot at Shane and would definitly be a big help later on. I smiled as I thought of the endless possibilites that this could open for me - this was such a better route to take, since Shane would have to be around me, whether he wanted to or not. Thrilled by my own ingenious thoughts, I turned to Nate, smiling brightly. Nate's eyes narrowed, and he regarded me suspiciously. Time for Plan B to be put in action, it seemed, since Plan A hadn't turned out as well as expected.

I was going to manipulate Nate Gray until I had him on the floor at my feet, begging for mercy.


	4. IV

**_T_**he sound of tires screeching on the pavement told me that I'd stopped faster than I'd needed to - well, that, and the way Nate almost flung through my windshield, only the seat belt keeping him from doing so. I flashed him a what-else-did-you-want-me-to-do look, annoyed by the horrified expression on his face. I refused to come even close to running a red light - Boss had made it clear to me that I was to go about my daily life as quietly as possible (which was somewhat hard to do, considering my job, but it paid well, so I certainly wasn't complaining) yet Nate glared at me from the passenger seat, as if I was crazy.

"Do you even have a license?" Nate snapped. I guess, since I had decided to remain quiet and smile at him charmingly, Nate had decided it was his turn to be the annoyed one. "You almost killed us!" He yelled, and I rolled my eyes at his over exaggeration.

"Take a chill pill, Nate, you're still very much alive." I replied, feeling some of my earlier annoyance begin to creep up on me again. Trying to flirt with Nate while at the same time remaining inconspicuous was finally catching up to me. It was much harder than it looked in movies - trying to catch the pop star's attention without being too obvious. If Nate somehow discovered my mission... I was worse than dead. If Nate didn't kill me, Boss certainly would. I had to make absolutely certain that no one so much as had a fleeting thought about who I really was. "We're here, anyway." I pointed out as I pulled into the first empty parking space I came across and turned off the engine, turning to face Nate.

"And, surprisingly, in one piece," He muttered sarcastically. "No thanks to you, of course." He glanced pointedly at me, and I had to admit that I was surprised he was already joking, since just moments earlier he'd looked as if he was ready to tear off my head. I made another mental note about the Gray boys: They were, not surprisingly, bipolar.

I pushed the car's door open, launching myself out before Nate had a chance to come around and help me out, which I had no doubt that he would've done if I'd stayed longer. Nate was the 'gentleman' of the group - although in some ways I still couldn't see it. Nate seemed to sense that I was pointedly avoiding letting him open the door for me, and wisely said nothing as he turned and began to walk away from me, towards the store. Before I began to follow him, I rolled my eyes at his back.

The store was rather crowded, and at first I expected Nate to change his mind and refuse to step foot inside, since I figured that at least some people would recognize him. His face was plastered all over dozens of teen magazines, after all. If you walked down the magazine isle, you were sure to see at least a hundred pictures of Nate Gray - or Connect 3 - staring back at you. Most young teens were die-hard fans. Thankfully, I wasn't one of them, because once my mission was finished, there were sure to be thousands of girls with broken hearts all over the world.

I followed Nate into the store, hoping that if we could keep a low profile, no one would notice that a celebrity was shopping in their store, with yours truly, myself. I could only imagine the headlines if paparazzi caught us together. They'd automatically assume we were dating, and I'd be in bigger trouble with Boss than I already was. Ducking my head, my eyes darting around to see if anyone had recognized Nate yet, I made my way over towards the shirts, hoping I could grab some clothes off the rack, let Nate pay for them, and then be on my way.

My eyes scanned the racks quickly - I grabbed a tie-dye cami, a black mini-skirt, and a pair of black sandals before I literally threw them at Nate, smiling sweetly as I did so. Nate caught them easily, sending me a smirk that I wasn't sure how to read, before he insisted I get changed into them once we bought them. Rolling my eyes, I complied. Nate smiled charmingly at the cashier, promising her an autograph if she kept quiet once she'd recognized him. With narrowed eyes, she turned to glare at me.

"Who's this, your girlfriend?" She spat the word, giving me a look made of pure evil, and I shrank back slightly, trying to keep my head lowered so she wouoldn't get a close look at my face. Nate was quick to correct her, though, and once he'd opened his mouth, I gaped at him, wondering what in the world had possessed him to say such a thing.

"No, just a friend," He promised, hesitating slightly, before he cast a sly glance in my direction. "Of my brother's." He continued, and I felt my eyes widen at his words. What in the world was he getting at? I closed my eyes, tapping my foot in impatience as I waited for Nate to finish paying so I could grab my clothes and get out of here. Shopping was never my thing - shopping with a Gray brother made it ten times worse.

Once the cashier placed the bag on the counter, I literally pulled the bag out of her hands before turning and stalking out. Before I'd reached the door, I heard Nate mutter something about me being rather "temperamental", and then he proceeded to follow me out of the store, a huge smile on his face. The moment we exited the store, I cornered him, my eyes flashing with anger.

"What the heck was that about?" I practically screamed, forgetting Boss' words about 'keeping a low profile' as I glared at Nate, malice in my eyes. Nate, to add to my fury, began laughing, instead of looking even slightly nervous. If only he knew what I was capable of... maybe he wouldn't be so high and mighty - he would probably cower before running away, although neither one of those things would be able to save him. If only it wasn't for the mission...

"Whoa, Andy, chill." He chuckled, obviously finding my anger amusing. "Just go get changed and we'll talk in the car, okay?" He asked, his voice low as he glanced around, and I realized he was worried that someone might recognize him, since there were quite a few people staring at us suspiciously after my outburst. Glaring at him, I marched into the nearest shop - besides Urban Outfitters - and peeled my wet, sticky clothes off of my skin, wishing I had a spare wig somewhere in my car (next time I'll remember to bring one) since the wig was still rather damp and getting itchier by the second. Resisting the urge to pull it off and scream at the irritation, I pulled on the new clothes and smiled. Despite my annoyance with Nate, I had to admit I already loved the clothes he'd bought me.

Mental note to self: Thank Nate later on, when I wasn't ready to rip his head off.

With that, I cast another quick glance at the mirror before I grabbed my old clothes, rolled them into a ball, and shoved them into my purse. I muttered a quick thanks to the shop owner, who'd so graciously allowed me to use their bathroom to change in, before I headed out, towards the shiny red convertible, where Nate was already waiting. I rolled my eyes - couldn't he have at least waited for me? - before I slammed my own door shut and, once again, started up the little car's engine.

"So, Nate, would you like to explain, or do I need to just kill you now?" I asked, and although he thought I was just joking, I wasn't. I didn't know what was running through his little, narrow-minded brain when he'd spoken to the cashier, but he'd better have come up with a good reason for it, or else I was going to shove him out of "my" car and head on back to Boss, and leave Nate to find another ride back.

"I was thinking," Nate rolled his eyes at my serious expression, "That you probably didn't want your picture to be plastered all over the news tomorrow, with the title 'Nate Gray's New Girlfriend'." He replied, and unfortunately, I could see his logic in the situation. Sighing, I realized that I should be thankful to him, since if he had simply said I was just a friend (I didn't think I even qualified for that title, since I'd known him all of one and a half hours), people would've immediately assumed that I was his girlfriend, and then where would I be. Silently, I was glad Nate had said what he had, since Boss might not have welcomed having my face in the newspaper.

"Fine. You win." I replied, and Nate smiled back at me. "And now that we've got that settled, would you happen to know where I should be dropping you off?" I asked, raising my eyebrows at him. "Since it's not likely you'd like to sleep in the back of my car, you know..."

"You're right." Nate admits, "As much as I'd love to spend the night in your car, I'd better be getting back home. I can just call a cab, though, if it'll be too much trouble." Nate offers, and I cut him off with a shake of my head. No, as much as I wanted to drop him off at the curb and return to Boss before laying my head down on my bed, I wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to find out where Nate lived. And, it would be to her advantage if the other Gray boys happened to live with him.

"It's no trouble at all," I assured him, although secretly I was somewhat worried about what Boss would say. I would bet he was already in a seething rage at the fact I hadn't returned yet, but what did he expect from me? I was on a mission - one which he'd assigned me - and hence I had good reason for all of this. "Seriously. Just tell me the way." Nate smiled, as he told me he lived about an hour from L.A., which we were currently in. I sighed - Boss would surely be angry once I got back. I simply hoped that the rest of Connect 3 lived in the same place, because maybe it would soften Boss' anger if I found out where Shane lived.

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The drive was mostly silent, with Nate and I sharing a few words every once in a while, while the radio broke the rest of the silence. As we drove, I discovered quite a few things - 1] Nate was a fan of pretty much every band that I was 2] We actually shared a lot of things in common, besides music, and 3] Nate and I were nothing alike.

Of course, we liked many of the same things, and yet we lived two different worlds. He was a famous rock star - living the dream - and I was a secret agent, bent on destroying that dream. Sometimes, it made me feel sick inside, but I refused to allow Nate to control my feelings. I had reasons as to why I'd agreed to this mission, and nothing Nate would say could make me change my mind.

I smiled as one of my favorite songs came on, the realization that I could relax slightly around Nate making me much more comfortable (although not comfortable enough to let myself slip out any information that was important) and I raised an eyebrow as Nate began to sing along, quiet but firmly.

"We're here." He announced a moment later, pointing to a lone house on the corner. I nodded, stifling a yawn as I pulled over to let him out. Nate pushed the door open, but not before he turned to thank me. As he caught me mid-yawn, his eyes narrowed, and he frowned at me.

"Are you sure you're okay to drive back?" He asked, and I nodded, opening my mouth to tell him that I was, indeed, fine, when another yawn cut me off. I smiled sheepishly at him, and he rolled his eyes. "C'mon, park your car, you can spend the night here. I'm not letting you drive back when you're half asleep. Especially," He continued when I began to object, "When I know when you drive when you're awake." He smiled at his little joke, and I crossly admitted to myself that I was rather tired, and Boss would be even more mad if I managed to wreck his car while driving back, and hence I begrudingly gave in.

A frown on my face, I stepped out of the car, turning to stare at the mansion that cowered in front of us. Nate took in my awestruck expression and gave my elbow a gentle tug. My attention immediately drawn away from the house, I gave him a cross glare, but he brushed me off as he made his way towards the house. I followed, knowing I had no where else to go. Boss was already going to be angry enough - one night wouldn't kill him.

Nate pushed open the door gently, motioning for me to follow him up a huge staircase, and pointed me towards an empty room, muttering something about a guest room. I stumbled in, barely managing to stay on my feet, and Nate caught me easily. I flashed him an annoyed look before I moved over to sit on the bed. Nate muttered something under his breath.

"I'll go get you some pajamas." He replied, "Wait here, okay?" He asked, and I nodded, barely awake. I heard his footsteps retreating from down the hall, and if I had been more awake I would've immediately jumped up and begun to explore, but I didn't seem to have the energy. It was surprising how quickly the need to sleep had hit me.

Nate reappeared a moment later, shoving a gray shirt and flannel pajama bottoms at me, and I quickly thanked him before Nate pointed me towards the bathroom.

I changed in a second, once again thanking Nate as I made my way back to the guest room.

"Goodnight." Nate said from the doorway, and I would've responded, but the moment my body hit the mattress, I was asleep.


End file.
